Grimm Review: A Tentative Truce

“Face Off” was really a culmination of payoffs all of us have been waiting over a year for. Juliette and Renard’s actions are beginning to make some sense, Adalind continues to be a great villain, and, most importantly, Nick and Renard finally tip their hands to each other.

Juliette and Renard’s fun times were incredibly difficult to watch. I was mostly suffering from second hand embarrassment as their aggressions towards one another kept escalating and growing more awkward. The intense feelings they share is one thing, but it ended up translating into what looked like the beginning of BDSM gone wrong. They clearly needed a safe word when the bullets started flying.

Leave it to Rosalee to piece together what’s afflicting Juliette and Renard after being back in town for all of a few hours, and, might I say, it’s wonderful to have her back in the mix with the boys instead of on the phone far away. Naturally, the purification potion is causing Juliette and Renard to have feelings they cannot control, and if something isn’t done soon one of them will end up killing the other.

Adalind continues to work with the royals, and is now working the next part of her plan: pregnancy. However, the paternity of the baby is questionable because of the expediency of it. Is Grimm trying to say Renard is the father even though it only feels like a few days, at most, have passed since her encounter with Renard? Adalind used to be a creature, but she’s human now, and pregnancy tests usually take some time to show up positive.

This leads me to wonder if Adalind is actually pregnant with a different royal child.

Nick and Renard’s meeting, aside from being cut short, was everything I could have hoped for and more. The reference back to the pilot with the house in the woods played up the perfect amount of symmetry. Nick is no longer fearing who he is or what he’s seeing, nor is he alone in all of it; he’s figured out how to survive on his own terms.

In typical Grimm fashion, we were left with very little answers during this meeting aside from Nick getting his key back; nevertheless, one of the more pressing manners is to stop Juliette and Renard’s fatal attractions so heading back to the spice shop to get it all under control is probably for the best.

Finally, I really want to single out David Giuntoli. The man was awesome tonight as he took Nick through the emotional ringer as Nick went through rage, heartbreak, and more. He did some of his best work tonight.

A Few More Thoughts and Questions:

Monroe is still the best sidekick ever, and his reunion with Juliette was adorable.

Will the purification potion show what a Grimm looks like (if they have one)?

Juliette suddenly seemed to care about Nick again as he’s suffocating on the spice shop’s floor. Are her memories of Nick finally returning now?

Follow Grimm

Well, the race is on, isn't it? "Grimm", "Touch" and "Cult" all in the same time slot? It's gonna really tax the DVR's, and given that the ratings don't reflect recorded or online viewership, some one or two of them are going to suffer. Right now, if I had to choose, it would be between "Grimm" and "Cult", "Touch" having lost its way in search of a wider audience. As to last night's episode, I'm ambivalent. I don't fault Nick for leaving the key in his office drawer; after all, it is a police station and Nick doesn't know that Reynard is after it. In fact, why should he even think that Reynard is after it even when Reynard goes after it? Did I miss something? I mean just because Reynard might be lusting after Juliette, why should that mean that he would want the key?Anyway, let's see where things go from here.

Oh Grimm - how I've missed you. Welcome back into my life!! Loved this episode. David Giuntoli was on top of his game - holy crow, that man acted the hell out of this episode. I also loved how awkward the "love" scene was between Juliette and Renard. If it was just straight up passionate, it would have made less sense in the grander scheme of things. I thought it was perfectly thought out and choreographed. So Renard's with the resistance? Does that make him a good guy? And he understood the key? He's still so mysterious. I LOVE IT. Adalind - fantastic villain. I like the ambiguity of the ending. She could be pregnant for Renard's brother, and therefore have leverage for her life. BUT, I was thinking - what if there was a point to her getting Renard to sleep with her in his Wesen form? MAYBE (speculation of course) if she carries a part Hexenbiest child, she may get some of her "powers" back?

where's SAMCRO 2nite?!•March 09, 2013 18:22

WTF? NO SHOWDOWN BTW NICK AND RENARD! HIS BOSS CALLING A TRUCE?.... I GUESS BOTH OF THEM NEED GET ADLIND'S DUMBASS AND GOOD FOR ROSALEE FOR FIGURING OUT THE PROBLEM CUZ NICK WAS REALLY PISSED AND LOSING PATIENCE. MONROE CRACKS ME UP THE FLASHBACK ABOUT THE CAT WAS FUNNY. JUILETTE IS LAME AND BORING I DON'T LIKE HER NICK NEEDS TO DUMP HER LOL. HOW IN THE WORLD CAN U KEEP SOMETHNG IMPORTANT LIKE THE 'KEY' AT WORK? HELLO!!!!! THAT WAS STUPID. OVERALL EVERYBODY IN THIS EP. WAS GREAT CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT GRIMM IS BAAAACK!

@isoron - I think NBC just lost it's collective mind. February is SWEEPS month, and they came in at the bottom of the barrel (behind Univision!) because they put their most popular shows (REVOLUTION, GRIMM, THE VOICE) on hiatus while trying to introduce new ones in that period. The two that returned were COMMUNITY & SMASH, which were never solid hits to begin with. Someone over there really dropped the ball.

Enjoyed the episode so much! While I'm not the biggest fan of Juliette, I think Bitsie Tulloch nailed her delivery of, "What now?" when she opened her front door to see both Renard & Nick on her porch. That was hilarious! I think viewers forget she's been through a LOT, and has no knowledge of the Wesen world as Hank does (plus her memories of Nick are gone). She must think she's losing her mind. That brings up the ONE plot hole they didn't plug - how did they get Juliette to agree to all this when she's doesn't remember any of Nick's Grimm backstory? It's all hocus pocus to her, and I'm surprised she isn't rejecting it outright like before. Also loved the last scenes in the shop. FINALLY everyone is together in one shot - Nick, Monroe, Rosalee, Renard, & Juliette. I don't think that has ever happened. The only one missing was Hank.

@SMS - Renard is half hexenbiest and half Royal. His father (who was a Royal) had a hexenbiest mistress. When the mistress and Renard were discovered by the rest of the family, she brought Renard to the States. He is Wesen, but only half. That's why he doesn't fully look like Adalind or her mother when he transforms. What I want to know more about - Renard and the resistance. They're in cahoots?

SMS•March 09, 2013 14:43

Can someone tell me what beast Renard is. You would think he would be a fox with that name. Hated his beast face, failure of the makeup department and whoever approved it. They want us to believe he is a royal, he looks like one of the walking dead. Sorry I'm on a rant but after waiting this long to see it full on, major disappointment.

My only major problem with this episode is that Nick "hides" the key in an unlocked drawer of his own desk in the middle of the precinct. Really?! I know, I know, Renard had to get his hands on the key in order for the plot to progress, and Nick wasn't exactly in an overly-coherent frame of mind, but come on! On a happier note, I love that Nick and Renard got to have a manly fight sequence in the woods before coming to an understanding. Female fans rejoice!

I thought it was a really good episode. I totally agree about David Giuntoli. He was amazing in tonight's episode it doesn't hurt that he is totally hot as well lol. Oh yeah and love love love Rosalee and Monroe

victoria•March 09, 2013 05:06

i found the whole thing very unsatisfying. juliette is still around being annoying, he didn't pummel renard into telling what his angle is, the stupid neverending love triangle is still going and they're pushing WAY too hard to make us sympathetic to those idiots (juliette and renard). that said, monroe was awesome as usual and it's great to have rosalee back. now if we can just drop this whole stupid storyline and never reference it again...